Regulating device for watch or clock movements



F. MEYER Dec. 27, 1955 ,REGULATING DEVICE FOR WATCH OR CLOCK MOVEMENTS Filed July 21 1953 rmznmfh iifiin ATT OZQ IJEW United States Patent REGULATING DEVICE FOR WATCH OR Y CLOCK MOVEMENTS Friedrich Meyer, Grenchen, Switzerland, assignor to Felsa A. G., Grenchen, Switzerland Application July 21, 1953, Serial No. 369,411 Claims priority, application Switzerland August 7, 1952 3 Claims. (Cl. 58-112) The present invention relates to a regulating device for watch or clock movements with a regulator whose index is connected with a spring tending to rotate the same, and with an adjusting screw which can be screwed into the cock for adjusting the regulator against the action of the spring.

The regulating device according to the invention is characterized by a member whose one end is engaged with play in an opening of the regulator index and whose other end is rigidly connected with a disc adapted to be applied against the underside of the cock, whereas the middle portion of the member, which is of frusto-conical shape with its smaller base nearest the said disc, cooperates with the frusto-conical end of the adjusting screw.

The accompanying drawing shows, by way of example, an embodiment of the invention.

Therein is:

Fig. 1 a plan view thereof and Fig. 2 a sectional view in an enlarged scale taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The regulating device shown in the drawing comprises a regulator 1 whose index 2 is rigidly connected with a spring 3 tending to rotate the same in the clockwise direction of Fig. 1. The free end of the spring 3 bears against the shoulder 4 of a screw 5 screwed into the cock 6.

An adjusting screw 7 with crosswise grooved head is screwed into the cock 6 and serves to adjust the regulator 1 against the action of the spring 3.

A stud 8 is provided for as an intermediary member between the spring 3 and the adjusting screw 7. This stud has a cylindrical portion 9, followed by a frustoconical portion 10 with a slight conicity. The latter is followed in its turn by a small disc 11, a very short cylindrical portion 12, a frusto-conical portion 13 with an apex angle of 45", a cylindrical portion 14and finally a large disc 15 which bears against the underside of the cock 6. The smaller base of the frusto-conical portion 13 is turned towards the disc 15.

The upper portion 9, 10 of the stud 8 traverses with play a bore 16 of the index 2. The edge 17 separating the portions 9 and 10 from each other is arranged above the middle of the thickness of the index 2. The portions 11 to 14 of the stud 8 are situated in an opening 18 of the cock 6.

In the devices known up to now with a regulator whose index is rigidly connected with a spring and is actuated by means of an adjusting screw cooperating with a stud of the index, a strong turning or twisting moment always occurred, which lifted up the regulator as at A. The regulating device as shown and described does away with this drawback. The end 19 of the screw 7 is conical with a conicity of 45 i. e. exactly that of the frusto conical portion 13 of the stud 8. Owing to this circumstance a good contact is guaranteed between the portions 13 and 19 and the portion 19 exerts on the portion 13 an obliquely directed force which is tilted by 45 with respect to the axis of the stud 8 (Fig. 2). This force may be decomposed into two components: a vertical one,

directed upwards, and a horizontal one, directed from left to right. The vertical component is completely absorbed by the disc 15 pressed against the cock 6, whereas the horizontal component presses the edge 17 against the wall of the bore 16 of the index 2 and is counterbalanced by the resilient force of the spring 3. Owing to this arrangement the axis of the stud 8 remains always perpendicular to the cock 6, so that the danger of the regulator 1 being lifted up as at A is removed. The fact that the edge 17 is placed above the middle of the thickness of the index 2, further improves the operation of the regulating device, as this edge 17 forms so to speak a center of rotation on which the index 2 tends to rotate in the clockwise direction of Fig. 2. More particularly, when the spring 3 presses against the portion 9 of the stud 8 the portion of the index 2 remote from the adjusting screw 7, i. e. the portion situated in Fig. 2 on the right side of the stud 8, the index 2 tends to rotate in the clockwise direction of Fig. 2 about the edge 17 and therefore to sink as at A. Therefore any danger of the regulator 1 being lifted up at A is completely eliminated.

In order to adjust the running of the watch or clock movement equipped with the described regulating device, it sufiices to turn the adjusting screw 7 in one or the other direction. If the screw 7 is unscrewed too much out wardly, its conical end 19 goes away from the portion 13 of the stud 8. The above-mentioned force vanishes and therefore the disc 15 is no longer pressed against the cock 6. The stud 8 then falls somewhat, but is prevented from leaving the opening 18, for the small disc 11 is retained by the cylindrical portion 20 of the screw 7. As the cylindrical portion 12 of the stud 8 is very short, it is possible by again turning the screw 7, to bring again the conical end 19 of the screw 7 in contact with the truncated cone 13 of the stud 8.

While a representative embodiment has been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modi fications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A regulating device for watch or clock movements comprising a balance cock having a threaded bore and an opening therein, a regulator rotatably mounted on the balance cock and provided with a pointer or index having a bore therein, a spring abutment on the balance cock, a spring integral with the index acting against the spring abutment and tending to rotate the regulator, an adjusting screw with a frusto-conical working end, the adjusting screw adapted to be screwed into the threaded bore of the cock to adjust the regulator against the action of the spring, a stud member arranged perpendicular to the cock in the opening of the cock, the upper end portion of the stud member engaged with play in the bore of the regulator index, and a disc rigidly connected to the lower end of the stud member and adapted to be applied against the underside of the cock, the middle portion of the stud member being of a frusto-conical shape with its smaller base nearest the disc and being adapted to cooperate with the frusto-conical working end of the adjusting screw.

2. A regulating device for watch or clock movements according to claim 1, in which the upper end portion of the stud member engaged with play in the bore of the regulator index, comprises a cylindrical portion and a frusto-conical portion with a slight conicity, the separating edge of the last-mentioned portions being situated above the middle of the thickness of the index.

3. In a regulating device for watch or clock movements according to claim 1, an additional disc integral with the stud member situated between the frusto-conical middle portion and the upper end portion of the stud member,

the additional disc being adapted to prevent the stud membe: from leaving the cbck when the tip of the adjusting screw is moved outwardly past the frusto-conical portion 05 the stud: member, by refiSQn of contact between the add Q fl i disc and the adjusting, screw.

R fe en es. Cit in th file at this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,955 Ball Aug. 18, 1896 FOREIGN PATENTS 129,636 Switzerland Jan. 2, 1929 850,426 Germany Sept. 25, 1952 

